Some misunderstadings can be dangerous

Outdoors and myths seem to go hand-in-hand. People report sightings of black panthers, bigfoot and chupacabras on a fairly regular basis. But there may not be anything in the wild, real or not, that is surrounded by more myths and misinformation than snakes.

One of the more commonly accepted myths is that cottonmouths will chase people; something that herpetologist Terry Vandeventer said is more of a misinterpretation.

"Nope, they absolutely under no circumstances chase people," Vandeventer said. "The cottonmouth is about the slowest snake in Mississippi. They're fat and they're not built for speed."

Vandeventer also pointed out that chasing a human is not in a cottonmouth's best interest.

"Would you try to chase a grizzly bear with cubs?" Vandeventer asked. "Why would a snake try to attack you when you're like a grizzly bear to him?"

Instead, Vandeventer said if a cottonmouth crawls toward you, it is most likely because you are between the snake and where the snake is seeking safety.

"A snake crawling toward you does not constitute a chase," Vandeventer said. "It's a misinterpretation of a snake's behavior."

Another snake that is misunderstood is the celebrated kingsnake. People protect them because they eat other snakes. However, there are other snakes that will quickly gobble up their cousins.

"Racers eat a lot of other snakes," Vandeventer said. "Like kingsnakes, racers are immune to venom.

"Coachwhips eat a lot of other snakes. Indigo snakes eat other snakes."

And the snake that Vandeventer said eats more snakes than the rest will probably surprise you.

"Cottonmouths," Vandeventer said. "Cottonmouths eat a lot of other snakes."

Another myth that has circulated longer than most of us can remember is water snakes and cottonmouths can't bite underwater. Guess what? They can.

"They eat fish," Vandeventer said. "Any aquatic species that eats fish or frogs, they have the capability to bite underwater."

So, if a cottonmouth can bite a fish underwater, it can bite you, too. But Vandeventer said that's unlikely.

"Yes, they have the capability to bite underwater, but that event is very rare," Vandeventer said.

If you haven't heard the legend of the stinging snake, that's probably because of where you live. But in some areas of the state, it's common.

"The stinging snake is shiny black on top with red crossbars on the belly that come up slightly on the sides," Vandeventer said. "They're called the mud snake."

The snake has a tail that looks like a wasp abdomen and as the story goes, if it stings you, "All that's left is the singing and the digging," Vandeventer was told.

In reality, mud snakes use the hard, pointed tail to manipulate their prey, which is primarily amphiuma, while swallowing them. However, mud snakes will use their tails on humans.

"If you pick one up it will poke you with it," Vandeventer said. "It won't draw blood, but it's startling."

Of all the misinformation that circulates about snakes in Mississippi, according to Vandeventer the most dangerous involves coral snakes.

"They say he has a tiny little mouth and it's hard for him to bite you," Vandeventer said. "That's not true.

"He can open his mouth almost 180 degrees. So, in fact, he can bite you almost anywhere. They say they have no fangs. He has fangs in the front of his mouth just like any other venomous snake."

He also said some people think coral snakes need to chew on their victims to inject venom and while they do tend to chew when they bite, it's not necessary to envenomate.

A bite from a coral snake due to misinformation is bad enough, but Vandeventer said such an event is worse because antivenom designed specifically for coral snake bites has been out of production for over a decade and supplies are dwindling. So, stay clear of coral snakes.

"All they have to do is open their mouth, close their mouth and have a little piece of you in between," Vandeventer said.